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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 1981)
jody murray double play “I’ve always wanted to sit down and write an editorial for a big sports magazine and say to coaches, ‘Hey, those people you're beating on have lives to live, too.’ ” Well, the Emerald isn’t exactly Sports Illustrated, and Oregon swimmer George Koch, the author of those words, isrv’t ex actly Mark Spitz. But what the holder of several Oregon records says has little to do with the breaststroke. He is concerned with what goes on at pool side, or on the sidelines, or in the player’s box. “You must think of the coach, that’s his job," says the Oregon senior. “He must make the kids produce. You know how that saying goes, ‘No pain, no gain.' ” But some coaches go beyond the restraints of their salaries, Koch says, and thereby put a strain on the meaning of sport. “Some coaches say, Hey, kids, I’m the closest thing to God you'll ever get.’ ’’ Years ago, when Koch was competing for Portland's David Douglas Swim Club, the only thing he worshipped was swim ming itself. “They had to tie me down to keep me from the pool. I’d get out of a workout ready to throw up, but it felt great.” Perhaps it felt a bit too great, because once Koch showed some promise, the coaches started getting into the act. “It gets to the point where coaches take over and they begin to forget the athlete. That’s where it gets lost.” Koch, a physical education major who plans a coaching career, said a coach “has to develop his own rapport with an athlete. “You are their coach, and they respect you, but out of the water they should respect you as an individual.” Some would argue that even though Woody Hayes or Frank Kush scared the living heck out of their players, they had suc cessful programs. Those “some” would be right. But the key phrase for these two men isn’t “successful programs,” it’s “had successful programs.” Coaches who use the bull whip method are waltzing on a knife edge — one extracur ricular punch at a player and they cut themselves out of the picture. The athlete, in turn, constant ly dodges a hangman’s noose held by the coach. But the coach is wary of the athletic director, who is looking over his Balloon Bouquets for Valentine’s Day! -a unique gift idea Give your sweetheart a bouquet of 5 silver heart balloons, inscribed with your own message and delivered for only IIS00. These are large helium balloons and will last for weeks. “Say it with Balloons.” Call Balloon World of Oregon 741-2S45 44444444444444444444444 George Koch shoulder at the administration and alumni. The athlete gets the nastiest end of the pecking order. Does it really benefit the competitor to receive verbal and sometimes physical abuse? Certainly any athlete who feels a need for such treatment is on the down hill side of his career. All this bitching about over zealous coaches may sound utopian to those who worship Hayes or Kush or former U S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks and his scare tactics. But is the success of a program a sufficient tradeoff for the doubts of a George Koch or the lawsuit of a Kevin Rutledge? Apparently, yes. Say Koch, “A lot of coaches lose it when they forget the ath lete is a human being and not some animal they're trying to train.” Perhaps it’s the coaches who should be caged. LOVE FESTIVAL Friday, Feb. 13 th ft. %\ Put on your BOOGIE SHOES Show starts at 9:00 If you dare, dance till 2:00 at Lane County Fairgrounds $3.00 advance/$4.00 at door/$5.00 a couple Tickets at Everybody’s and E.M.U. Main Desk also LCC Main Desk Reservations...342-5231 2200 Centennial Blvd. . v *ss5$&: i'<* ° c^ntot* Aoe y° M.V. U^Q,Stf*0 ^0^ *** \r* q Q'' tc,00o^'c dta. WINTER TUNE-UP SPECIAL! ENGINE OIL & FILTER (IF NEED ED) • CHASSIS LUBE • ADJUST CARBURETOR WITH FUEL AN ALYZER • CYLINDER COMPRES SION • CHECK AND REPLACE IG NITION POINTS • ADJUST VALVE CLEARANCE • ADJUST FAN BELT • INSPECT AND ADJUST BRAKES • CHECK RADIATOR COOLANT AND ADD (IF NEED ED) • REPLACE SPARK PLUGS 4995 PARTS AND LABOR 1972 AND LATER BUSES. RABBITS, AND DASHERS PARTS AND LABOR ALL VW BEETLES, PRE '72 BUSES, AND ALL TYPE 3'S OUR MECHANICS CERTIFIED BY NIASE VOLLITEDT VOLKSWAGEN 20 Coburg Road • 485-6111 Parts and Service Open Saturday mornings by appointment only Due to the already low price of the special no additional discounts will be given Offer expires Feb. 28. 1981 This information is for the Emerald only. It will not appear in the ad. Name --Date Address_Phone Category — Date ad starts Hic3l?„r rwU>B3 FCA. IS Number ot words 20 Cost iuso
